


Practical Magic

by rebelforce



Category: Practical Magic (1998), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Jess is a florist, Practical Magic book, Practical Magic movie, Rey is a witch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 14:39:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11808027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelforce/pseuds/rebelforce
Summary: For lovers of Practical Magic, whether it be the book, movie, or both.Rey lets Jess in on a family secret and everything feels a little magical. Is the force all that different from good old fashioned magic?Written for Star Wars femslash week 2017.





	Practical Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you're an avid fan of the book and movie, keep an eye out, as there are references to both in here. I'd recommend listening to the soundtrack as you read... That's what I listened to as I wrote it ;)

Morning always arrived with peaceful reliability. A warm beginning, the first spark on a candle, the introductory pages of a new book, the fresh buds on a spring flower. Crisp, new, and as predictable as the weather. No matter what the day before had brought, no matter tears or laughter, the sun would rise again the next day and give us all another chance.  
The earliest hour of her day had always been Rey’s favorite. The old alarm clock on her nightstand, a rickety old metal thing passed down to her from a relative she’d never met, was always set for six o’clock sharp. She hardly ever needed it these days, for her body would start to stir at around that time, or a particularly hungry cat would nibble whatever body part had exposed itself from under her linen duvet. 

Sleep had left her about three minutes to six this morning, and she reached over to switch the alarm off, deciding to spare them all from the noise. The sky outside was still pink with dawn and the little robins that had nested on the tree outside the window were just beginning to sing. Rey smiled as her feet rested upon the old oak floors of her bedroom and the trio of cats at the end of her bed made themselves known, trilling and purring in hopes of being fed. 

The stairs she climbed down to get into the kitchen were oak as well, and Rey could tell which ones would squeak before she’d even stepped on them, having committed the pattern to memory. The entire house had been committed to memory, a relic passed down through generations of family, of which Rey had very little left.  
The very first thing to be done every day, after feeding that cats that is, was to sit on the back steps drinking tea. White peony, for health and refreshment, or chamomile, when the day was proving to by fitful. Today Rey had chosen a blend of lavender and rose, a mix that made the drinker lucky in love. Rey would take all of the help she could get. 

Jessika Pava was a force. The world stilled when she entered the room, as if the divine beings themselves had pressed pause. The beetles ceased their ticking, the wind would settle, and even the children would hush, watching the beautiful woman with her impossibly black hair walk by. Jess laughed louder than was appropriate, made men forget the end of their sentences, and somehow, Rey had convinced her to come over for dinner. 

She sighed as she stirred the sugar into her tea, not caring to notice when the spoon kept stirring itself around the cup long after she’d let go. Her focus was on the lilacs growing around her porch, the very ones she couldn’t get to stop growing. They were lovely, it was true, but the neighbors were starting to notice, drawing attention to the young woman in the old house. Rey would have to ask Aunt Leia why they grew that way, or maybe a trip to the old public library in town was due. 

Rey despised going into town, for the glances she got from the busy body mothers, with their helmet like haircuts and prying eyes, were impossible to ignore. There was something about being a Skywalker that made them stare and whisper behind Rey’s back, as if she couldn’t hear them talking about how strange it was for a women her age, with her beauty, to be single.  
What those women didn’t realize was that Rey wasn’t interested in the single men in the bar stools at the local pub, nor the women’s husbands, all kept men with funny haircuts. Rey was interested in the local florist, who’s shop was littered with magnolias, a flower that craved the humidity of Louisiana instead of the soil of Massachusetts. Rey stopped in once a week to Jess’s shop, and at first it was just for the flowers, but it quickly turned into an excuse to go and study the way Jess’s face lit up as she laughed. 

There was plenty of work to be done around the house to busy Rey’s hands as she awaited Jess’s arrival later in the evening. Old carpets were brought outside and beaten, the months of dirt and cat hair shaken into the fresh July grass. Toads were scared out from under the front porch, though Rey knew better than to think they wouldn’t be there again the next morning when she came out to retrieve the paper. 

The day was proving to be beautiful, the light summer air clear of any humidity, giving everyone’s hair a break from the typical frizz and fluff of summer time. Rey decided that dinner was served better on the back porch, setting up a card table with two chairs, laying over a purple lace table cloth that was only mildly moth eaten (though if you asked her it simply added to the holes in the pattern). Just as she was adding a dash of cinnamon to their carrot soup, for luck, there was a melodic knock on the front door.  
Rey took a deep breath, smoothing the fabric of her floral dress before walking down the hall to open the front door. She shooed away the cats as her hand landed on the door knob, watching them run away in a blur of black fuzz. 

Jessika was dazzling. At least, that’s the only word that Rey could conjure as she opened her front door, revealing the beautiful woman on the other side. Jess had left her hair down, and it tumbled and then disappeared into the fabric of her dress, the same color as her ebony locks. The toads were singing, once again under the deck, as if they were mocking Rey when she needed it the least. 

“Jessika, you look amazing.” While the words must surely have been something Jess had heard before, she smiled, looking over Rey’s own form.

“If anyone here looks amazing, it’s you. I love your dress.” Jess was holding a bottle of wine in her hands, which she extended into Rey’s own. “I hope you like red. This is a really great blend.”

“Thank you,” Rey smiled, accepting the bottle. “Here, come in. Dinner’s ready.”

Jess grinned as she stepped passed Rey into the house, her eyes scanning the old walls from floor to ceiling. One of the cats mewled at their guest as she walked passed, curios to have visitors. “You know, I’ve always wanted to see inside this house. Ever since I was a little girl.” 

They stepped into the kitchen, the smells of spice and roasted vegetables filling the air. “Is that why you accepted my offer?” Rey teased, grabbing a pair of wine glasses from the cabinet. 

“I think you’ll find my motives are far more scandalous than that,” Jess giggled, running a hand through her hair. Her nails were painted the color of blood, a color Rey knew was associated with passion and strength, but most importantly, love. 

The label on the bottle of wine hinted at notes of clove, a favorite flavor of Rey’s. “This wine has clove in it,” she looked up at Jess, making eye contact. “My aunt says clove is best used to keep friends close.”

Rey poured them each a glass, and Jess made a move to touch their glasses together in a toast. “Well by all means. Here’s to keeping good friends close.” 

Their eye contact was intense, and Rey felt the blood rush to her cheeks as they sipped their wine. The flavor was syrupy, yet pleasant, heavy on her tongue in a satisfying way.  
Rey lead Jess out onto the back porch, sitting her at their makeshift dinner table before serving their food. The sun was just beginning to dip, casting shadows from the tall trees in her back yard to loom all the way to the house. The summer bugs were already starting to fly overhead, so Rey lit a couple candles, to ward them off. 

“You used my flowers,” Jess pointed out the bouquet of white magnolias between them, dazzling in the low light of dusk. 

“Of course. They’re always so beautiful.” Rey dabbed her mouth with one of the linen napkins she’d found in the closet. “I’ve never been able to grow them. My green thumb only goes so far, I suppose.” 

Jess grinned at the compliment to her flowers, dipping her spoon into her soup. “Your yard is beautiful though. Does anyone help you with this?”

Rey shook her head. “Just me.” In truth, it was her aunt, and her grandmother before her, that had tended to the garden before it had fallen into Rey’s own hands. Her responsibilities now were simply to weed and water, as well as plucking the vegetables once they were ripe for harvest. 

The two women slipped into easy conversation as the sun sank beneath the horizon, and Rey said a silent farewell to the star she knew she’d see again the next morning. Her focus for now, was the tantalizing woman sitting inches away from her, skin glowing golden in the warmth of the candle light. Rey felt pleasantly dizzy as she conversed with Jess, each new piece of information pushing her further to the edge, of which she’d happily fall off of. 

Their bowls had been long empty as Rey reached again for their bottle of wine, filling Jess’s glass before her own. Jess was watching her as she poured, a sentence trapped on her lips. 

“Can I ask you something, Rey?” Her amber eyes were searching Rey’s, locking the other girl into her gaze. 

“Of course.” 

“You come to the shop every Wednesday at 8:30. Why so early?” Jess was looking at her with curiosity, studying Rey’s features in the candlelight. 

“Honestly?” Rey laughed softly. “To avoid the other women around town.” 

Jess laughed with her, nodding. “Fair enough.” She paused, chewing on her lip. “Is it true then? What they say about you?” 

Rey chuckled, picking up her wine glass, swirling the dark liquid around. “You know what else they say about clove? It’s supposed to ward off malicious gossip.” 

Jess must have blushed, as she was looking shyly at her lap. “Maybe I should get you a few more bottles of that then.” 

Rey winked at her. “I try not to listen to what other women say about my family, but not all rumors are untrue.”

Jess’s head snapped up, her eyes full of wonder. “What do you mean?”

“Want to see something?” Rey had only pulled this trick at parties, or when she was alone, but with the way Jess was nodding Rey would have performed any task she was asked. 

Rey leaned forward and blew out one of the candles in front of them, waving the wispy smoke away with her palms. After it had cleared into the night air around them, she leaned forward again, leveling herself with the extinguished wick. Her eyes found Jess’s before she whispered, “watch”. 

She took a breath before blowing a steady stream of air at the candle, watching as the wick sparked and sputtered until a new flame appeared, illuminating the pair of them once again in flickering light. Rey sat up, grinning with her own accomplishment. It was a silly trick, one her mother had taught her before she passed, but it still made Rey smile every time, and it was handy when she forgot to pick up matches at the store. 

Jess was staring at her, a blend of shock and adoration holding her pretty features. “Tell me there’s some kind of science behind that.” 

Rey chuckled, shrugging. “As much science as there is behind the rest of the world. The same science that’s behind serendipity, or coincidence.” She reached across the table, taking Jess’s hand into her own. “Or as some would say… love.”

The two women looked at each other, both holding their breath as they waited for the other person to react. A breeze had caught a strand of Jess’s hair, dancing it around her face as if attempting to pull her closer to Rey. It worked, because Jess leaned forward, catching the other woman’s lips in a soft kiss, one that both of them leaned into after a moment, setting their world on fire. 

Rey stood, taking a couple steps before settling herself into Jess’s lap, pressing their torso’s together deliciously. Kissing Jess was like playing with magic, as Rey would know first hand. Every step was new, exciting, and if you did it the right way there were sparks, dancing around them like moths to a flame. The noises being shared between them were rivaling even the toad’s chorus, the night air filling with the sounds of intimate passion. 

They broke apart after a while, both of them becoming dizzy from lack or air, or simply because that’s how one should feel after kissing the girl of their dreams. Rey peeled herself away after a moment, taking Jess’s hand in her own, leading her back into the kitchen. 

“I could use some tequila. How about you?” Jess smiled in response to Rey’s question, nodding. 

When she was a young girl, Rey would occasionally wake in the middle of the night to the sound of her mother’s blender, mixing a concoction that Rey wouldn’t get to enjoy until her 21st birthday. Even now, a margarita remained her favorite alcoholic beverage. 

Jess was kissing up and down her spine as Rey fixed up their cocktails, her skin prickling at the contact. They spent the next couple hours giggling at each other between kisses and drinks, their inhibitions crumbling as the night ticked on. Rey could feel herself falling, quickly as she usually did, so it was no surprise to her when she and Jess tumbled into her bed after midnight. 

They were spellbound, these two women, coming together so fiercely that when Jess made Rey come apart later, panting and sweating into her bedsheets, they both knew that something special was happening. Their touches were magic. Rey had no other word to describe the way Jess’s hands felt on her body, unlike any man or woman had felt before. 

The moon was much higher in the sky that night when Rey crept out of bed to wander over to her window. Jess was asleep on the mattress, dark hair fanned out behind her. Rey could feel a change in the air, something stronger than a simple shift in atmosphere. Love was happening to her, like it did to all of the Skywalker women once the moment was right. Despite feeling the weight of sleep on her eyelids, Rey thanked the stars above for hand delivering her this beautiful woman, sending a silent thank you to the moon shining across the back yard. 

Rey had gathered several pieces of information over the years from many different women, but oh, this would be a deliciously new adventure. 

 

“Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”

**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
